Can opener



April 22, 11. M. J. 'ZIMMER CAN OPENER Filed Oct. 19, 1938 INVENTOR.

A T ORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 22, 1941 5 W -ric Edward Katzinger C corporation of Illinois ompany, Chicago, Ill., a

Application October 19, 1938, Serial No. 235,885

5 Claims.

This invention relates to can openers and has for its object the provision of a device which will sever the head of a can from the wall thereof without leaving jagged or raw metal edges at the line of severance and which will firmly hold and support the can without the aid of the operators hands.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be apparent, this invention. cO-nsistsin the construction, combination and arrangement of parts all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of. a can opener constructed in accordance withthe present invention, illustrating the blade thereof in depressed or cutting position.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of. the opener as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the side of the can opener opposed to the side shown in Fig. 1. illustrating the blade in elevated or non-cutting position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary View showing a section of a can and the rim bead thereof in operative relation to the blade of a can opener of the construction contemplated herein.

Reference being had more particularly to the drawing, Id indicates a carrier frame comprising,

in this invention. a novel one-piece strip of 4 metal having outwardly diverging arms I 1 formed by slitting one end of the strip. The extreme outer ends of the arms H are bent to provide ears I Z in a plane perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the frame it), which in turn are each slotted or perforated as at lit for thereception of a screw M or the like to enable fastening of the frame it to a wall or fixed support indicated at B5. The forward end of the frame Hi remote from the wall it is pierced transversely to permit reception of a shaft l6 forming part of a. turning crank 6?. Upon the extending end of the shaft it is mounted aknurled traction wheel it which operates closely against one face of the frame it! at a point substantially midway of the width of the frame iii. A suitable handle it, for turning the shaft and traction wheel is provided on the crank ll, said handle extending laterally from the face or side of the frame Iii opposite to the face thereof adjacent to the traction-wheel l8. that the traction wheel l8 rotates substantially flush against one face of the frame ill and that the base 2%) of the crank H operates flush against 1 the opposite face of said frame.

It will be noted from Fig. 2v

The carrier frame til is pierced by a pivot 2| near a forward lower edge thereof, on which is pivotally mounted a plate 22 adapted to be moved on said pivot 2'! in aplane substantially parallel to and flush against the face or side of the frame Hi opposite the face thereof adjacent the traction wheel lit. The body of the plate is recessed or cut out to form an oval opening 23 topermit the edges of the plate 22 to keep clear from the periphery of the shaft base 28 during pivotal movement of the plate 22. A longitudinal upper edgeof the plate 22 is provided witha lateral flange 25 which operates ,over and against the upper edge of the frame Hi. At the rear end of the flange 25 is an extension 26 which projects to a point beyond the plane of the outer surface of the knurled traction wheel 13, where it is provided with a cutter blade 21. This blade 21 is provided with, a relatively sharp puncturing point 28 and the edges of the blade diverge from said puncturing point. For example, on one side of the point 28 the edge of the blade 2i slopes upwardly toward the rear limits of the flange 25',

1 while the edge of the blade on the opposite side of the point 23 slopes upwardly toward the forward limits of the flange 25, and is preferably bevelled to create a cutting edge] The edge of the plate 22 opposed to the blade 2'! is also provided with a lateral flange to presenting an edge or surface against which the side of a can may bear during the cover cutting operation.

A teat 3t struck downwardly from the inner face of the flange 25 somewhat forwardly of the point 2% of the blade 21, as shown in Fig. 4, presents a surface or edge in leading relation to the can bead engaging edge of the traction wheel 18 against which the can bead may bear during the cutting operation. This bearing provided by the surface of the teat SE is thereby adapted to resist any tendency of the traction wheel is to climb over the top of the bead of the can during such cutting operation.

The rearward edge 3! of the plate is provided with a plurality of teeth 32 which are adapted to mesh with corresponding teeth 33 on an operating arm 34 rotatably mounted on a pivot pin 35 piercing, the frame l0. For manipulating the. arm 34 and the elements carried thereby, the arm is provided with an angularly extending finger piece 31 by means of which the thumb or finger of the operators hand may be applied to turn the arm at and the blade to the proper adjusted position.

In Fig. 4 is'illustrated a sectional view of a can having a side wall 38 and a head end 39, which is seamed to the end of the side wall 33 and in being so seamed creates an outstanding head at the end of said side wall. In practice, the handle or finger piece 31 is manipulated to assume the position shown in Fig. 3 whereupon the blade 27 and the flange are raised from the adjoining upper edge of the frame It] by movement of the plate 22 under the influence of its teeth 32 and the teeth 33 of the arm 34. This movement of the plate 2| causes the lower edge of the plate to move upwardly until the rearmost projecting edge of the flange engages the lower end or edge of the frame I0, whereupon further upward movement of the plate 22 and the blade carried thereby is arrested. With the elements in this position, the upper periphery of the traction wheel I8 is cleared to receive and operate against the lower edge of the can bead 43 with the edge of the teat 36 bearing against a portion of the can bead 46 in leading relation to the portion thereof engaged by the traction wheel I8, and the outer face of the flange 30 operating against the side wall 38 of the can. With the can in this position and a pulling force exerted on the finger piece 31, the latter is moved to swing the arm 34 and its teeth 33 about the pivot 35 and the corresponding movement of the plate 22 under the coaction of its teeth 32 in mesh with the teeth 33 of the arm 34 will cause the blade 21 to be positioned against the inner face of the bead with the point of the blade directed downwardly. Further pressure on the finger piece 31 will cause the point of the blade to pierce the end or top 39 of the can. Turning of the handle it! and crank ll causes the can, through its engagement by the traction wheel l8 to be rotated relative to the frame In of the can opener, and the head end 39 of the can to be completely severed from the side wall 38 thereof. That portion or remnant of the head end 39 of the can remaining secured to the side wall 38 thereof is at the same time bent downwardly to rest flush against the side wall 38 of the can by the action of the blade 27 so that there is a smooth interior surface at the rim of the can following the cutting operation.

It will be observed that the can grasped between the knurled periphery of the traction wheel N3, the edge presented by the teat 36 on the underside of the flange 25 of the plate 22, and the lateral flange 30 of the plate 22 hearing against a lower portion of the can wall 38, causes the can to be in effect suspended upon the traction wheel l8, and the lateral displacement thereof from the periphery of the traction wheel [8 is prevented by the blade 21. Thus, while the finger piece 31 is depressed as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, and before, during and subsequent to the severance of the head end 33, the can is firmly grasped and supported by the present device.

By raising the finger piece 31, the can is consequently allowed to be released from engagement by the present device, but until such release the can is firmly engaged by the opener.

The piercing of the head end 39 of the can by the point of the blade 21 is accomplished by pressure on the finger piece 31. As the finger piece 31 is rotated or depressed toward the traction wheel l8, and the point of the blade 2'! is caused to pierce the head end of the can and the cutting operation'is begun, a suitable projection 4| extending inwardly from the frame-adjacent side of the plate 22 is adapted to engage the lower edge of the frame 10, whereby the blade is locked in depressed position for cutting. The pressure may then be removed from the finger piece 31, if so desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In a can opener, the combination with a frame having an end thereof adapted for attachment to a fixed support so as to dispose its opposite or free end in forwardly projecting relation to said first end, a plate pivoted to said frame adjacent the projecting end thereof and extending rearwardly therefrom, said plate having portions extending beyond the upper limits of said frame including a flange projecting laterally from the plate and spanning the edge of the frame, and a portion extending beyond the lower limits of said frame including a flange projecting laterally from the plate and spanning the lower edge of said frame, a traction wheel mounted on said frame, a shear blade on said flange projecting over the upper limits of said frame occupying a plane adjacent the plane of the outer face of said traction wheel, means for moving said plate and blade rearwardly and downwardly to position said blade in overlapping relation to said traction wheel including an arm pivoted to said frame and coacting with a rearward edge of said plate.

2. In a can opener, the combination with a frame having an end thereof adapted for attachment to a fixed support so as to dispose its other end in forwardly projecting relation to said attaching end, a shaft mounted for rotation on said frame adjacent its projecting end, a crank arm on said shaft extending laterally from a face of said frame, a knurled traction wheel fixed to an end of the shaft aforesaid extending from the opposite face of said frame to operate under the bead of a can, a plate pivoted to said frame adjoining the projecting end thereof and operating against the face of the frame opposed to the face thereof adjacent said traction wheel, a fiange projecting laterally from the plate and spanning the edge of the frame, a shear blade on the outer end of said flange and projecting downwardly in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the outer face of the traction wheel and exteriorly thereof, and an arm pivoted to said frame rearwardly of said plate adapted to engage a rearward edge of said plate to move said blade into position to overlap said traction wheel and thereby operate against and through the head of a can adjoining the bead of said can, and woe versa.

3. A can opener according to claim 2 including a portion of said plate extending beyond the lower limits of said frame presenting a bearing surface against which the side wall of the can may ride during the operation of the blade to sever the head of the can.

4. A can opener according to claim 2 including a projection extending inwardly from the frameadjacent side of the plate adapted to engage the lower edge of the frame for yieldably holding said blade in overlapping relation to said traction wheel.

5. A can opener according to claim 2 including intermeshing teeth on said arm and the rearward edge of said plate.

MYRON J. ZIMMER. 

